Issho ni Tsuyoi
by Kara Kazeneko
Summary: The tale of a mission done by Asuma's team before they ever entered into the chunin exams and how they first came to use the technique known as InoShikaChou before using it later against the Otonin.
1. Mission to Matsugakure Village

Chapter 1 - "Mission To Matsugakure Village"

A few months before the coming of the chuunin exams, Asuma Cell #10 were given the opportunity to do a genuine Rank-C assignment. The task was to trek several miles to the neighboring village of Matsugakure ("Those Who Hide In Pine Trees"), so they could protect some men who were transporting a crate of plum wine to Konohagakure village. Because it was a low risk, slightly uneventful task, Asuma's students were given the pleasure of doing this job as opposed to rookie chuunin, at the request of Asuma to help his students improve their teamwork skills. And as a bonus for successfully completing the mission, they were all offered the chance to dine at the most expensive restaurant in all of Konoha - an offer that Chouji certainly looked forward to enjoying more than his teammates. When the day of their departure arrived, they got out all the supplies and provisions they'd need for their long journey and divided them up amongst themselves - both Ino and Shikamaru rudely making poor Chouji carry a lot of the gear. Asuma felt that it might toughen him up a bit and did nothing to stop them, despite the great amount of whining that Chouji was doing. The only comfort he had to keep himself from wanting to beat the crap out of his teammates for making him carry most of their stuff, was the thought of what gourmet delicacies he might get to eat upon returning home.

After about three hours or so of walking through the woods, Asuma decided to let his students get a much needed break and directed them towards a mossy bank near a little waterfall. He took the opportunity to teach them some useful survival skills on how to forage for food, and how to tell the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms and berries. Once that was done with, he decided to spend some time relaxing near the waterfall's edge, happily puffing on a cigarette. Asuma removed his sandals and was glad to rest his achy feet in the cool water. Ino promptly went about combing out some knots in her hair which she'd gotten from brushing against branches, and Shikamaru was comfortably reclining against one of the backpacks they'd brought. Though as comfy as he was, however, Shikamaru was in a very fowl mood from feeling sick to his stomach all that morning. As for Chouji, who was extremely relieved to get to rest, he removed his sandals and the wrappings from his ankles so he might join his sensei in easing his tired feet. Upon feeling how cold the water was, Chouji gave a rather loud, girly squeal, to which the ailing Shikamaru rudely replied:

"Chouji, don't be such a big baby. It can't be that cold."

"It's as cold as ice, you idiot!" shot back Chouji, annoyed as hell.

"Sure, whatever. At least I wouldn't shriek like a little girl."

Chouji's face was beginning to turn a slight tinge of red as he gave a furious glance at Shikamaru, who had closed his eyes and now looked as though he were trying to fall asleep. Ino, who'd no interest in getting involved in their stupid quarrel, busied herself with re-adjusting the cloth strips that she wore around her waist and hips. Seeing that he'd get nowhere with Shikamaru taking a nap, Chouji gave up and tried his best to relax. Asuma, who'd been watching all that'd happened, just smiled - glad that it hadn't erupted into a mess for him to deal with. It bothered him that Chouji let his anger control him so often, and longed for the day that he'd be able to have restraint over himself. Perhaps this mission might help him out? Who knows...

Some while later, Asuma felt they'd all rested enough and that it was about time that they resumed their journey. Giving Shikamaru a "cold" waking by splashing a bit of water in his face (making him yelp in shock and his teammates snicker), Asuma went about getting everything packed up again and readying his team for the next part of their trip. Pulling out a bag of wasabi-flavored chips to eat, Chouji couldn't help but notice something was moving not far behind him amid the trees. Not sure what it could be, he asked Shikamaru what they should do about it. Shikamaru looked rather annoyed and then narrowed his eyes at him.

"You could probably be imagining things. I certainly don't sense any kind of threat right now, and no one in Matsugakure knows we've been summoned there for a mission - so no chance of ambush. But if you're so damn worried, then go tell Asuma-sensei...and leave me the hell alone!"

Ino, curious to know what the boys were heatedly discussing, blurted:

"You two keeping secrets? I'll tell sensei if you are keeping anything important from him that he ought to know...I mean it..."

Shikamaru (frowning): "Just butt out, Ino. This is between us. Shoo..."

Ino (making a fist): "Shoo? I'll shoo you, Nara Shikamaru..."

Chouji: "Would you both just quit it? I'm getting a big headache."

Wondering what was keeping his students so long in joining him on the main path, Asuma came to investigate. Finding Shikamaru and Ino looking as though they were about to tear each other to pieces, and poor Chouji holding his head, apparently in a lot of discomfort, Asuma frowned. Grabbing Ino and Shikamaru firmly by the back of their necks, he pulled them apart and glared at them. Sensing a major scolding, they quickly grew quiet and nervously awaited their sensei's next move. Fishing around inside the pockets of his jacket, Asuma pulled out a little plastic pouch, which contained aspirin tablets, and promptly tossed it to Chouji and instructed him to take two. That taken care of, he then focused his attention once more on the others, who were now fully afraid of what manner of punishment he might give them. With a great shock, all he did was give them a cold stare and suddenly...grinned.

"Usually I'd make you do something as punishment for such behavior, but, since we're practically in the middle of nowhere, no point in it. I just advise that you two quit harping on each other in the future. That's no way for a team to act! Quarreling like that will only lead to failing a mission, or even worser trouble. You need to cooperate. Now, forget whatever the heck it was you were fighting about and let's hurry up and get going - we're expected to reach Matsugakure by nightfall and I'll be damned if we manage to mess that up. If any of you wants dinner tonight, then you'd better get your rears in gear and move it!"

Ino and Shikamaru (in unison): "Yes, sensei."

Chouji desperately wanted to tell Asuma about what he'd seen, but with how annoyed the others had made their sensei, he feared getting yelled at as well and decided to keep it to himself. Not to mention the whole "If any of you wants dinner" thing really hitting him hard on keeping his mouth shut and obeying. So, with that out of the way, they resumed traveling and did their best to try and reach Matsugakure by dark... unaware of a lone shadow that seemed to creep after them as they went.

Making sport of it all, the other two tried to see who could reach the village the fastest, much to Chouji's utter displeasure. It was bad enough that he was carrying so much stuff, and to have to hurry to keep up with the others...agonizing. In his mind, Chouji hoped that there wasn't much mileage left for them to cover and that they'd find the village before he felt like collapsing. Even their sensei looked a tad bothered by how fast Ino and Shikamaru were going, but he didn't seem to want to halt them from doing it. Panting and nearly out of breath, Chouji quickly became far too worn-out to complain about how fast they'd been going. And as the last tiny rays of sunlight were burning the tops of the pines like little tongues of flame, the group finally managed to arrive at the gates to Matsugakure with plenty of time to spare - practically all of them quite exhausted and in need of rest. Warmly greeted by the village gatekeepers, they were hastily allowed in and began discussing their plans of where they would spend the night. As the large metal-plated doors that formed the gates of Matsugakure were closed for the evening, Asuma and his students were caught by surprise when an employee of their client appeared as if out of nowhere and asked them to follow him. The man then led them to a rather small though lavish-looking home and bade them to enter. Inside they were greeted by a large gold statue of dragon rearing on its hind legs and holding a golden plum in its mouth. With a big smile, their client soon appeared and welcomed them all to his home - inviting them to sit down in the dining hall and join him for dinner. Politely accepting with much showing of respect on Chouji's part (a little bit shocking to Ino and Shikamaru who thought that he had no manners at all), they all sat down at the table and waited for their food to arrive.

Their client introduced himself as Harudani Gokkai, renowned for making the finest plum wine in both Matsu no Kuni and Konoha combined. He was a short, slightly husky middle-aged man with long, black hair that he had tied high up on his head. And he had piercing blue eyes that seemed to set his face alight whenever he smiled. But there also was some sense of nervous foreboding that Ino could see in his eyes, which made her wonder if he was hiding something. When asked by Asuma as to why he didn't have Matsu's own ninja serve as escorts, Gokkai simply replied that they were far too busy with more important matters to take on a mediocre task such as this. And Konoha's price was a better deal, too. Time ticked on, and they were soon treated to a delicious meal of fried rice with teriyaki pork and some kind of humbow that was stuffed with mushrooms (Chouji was especially fond of that). While they ate, Asuma enjoyed questioning Gokkai about what kind of trouble they'd need to keep an eye out for on their journey and anything interesting about his business. He joked about having many rivals and the fear of them trying to ruin his business by stealing or destroying his shipment, then stated that just plain old thieves should be their only worry. Ino saw that same look in his eyes again, and seriously wondered if the man wasn't entirely joking. Then he went on to discuss the 'wonderful world of winemaking' (as he called it), making the kids get rather bored and hoping that it would soon be time for bed. After a while, to their joy, Gokkai asked them if they'd like to retire for the night, since they'd need to get up early to begin their task of escorting the wine crate to Konohagakure. They all happily agreed and he had a servant show them to a few guest rooms. Asuma was glad to have a room closeby in order to keep watch on his students, and hoped they got to bed quickly so as not to be weary the next morning. But for a few minutes, Ino and Shikamaru argued back and forth about who got what room, and it wasn't until Chouji pointed out how late that it was getting that they finally came to a decision. And as they all drifted off to sleep, each one wondered what adventure the next day might give to them... 


	2. A Brush With Death

Chapter 2 - "A Brush With Death"

Bright and early the next morning, after sleepily getting through a quick breakfast consisting of the leftovers from the night before, Asuma's team was ushered off to meet with the men they'd be assisting in bringing Gokkai's crate to its destination. Waiting patiently beside a small pond filled with a dozen Koi fish, they were surprised to see Gokkai arrive with a young teen as well as another middle-aged man. The boy had black hair and piercing blue eyes just as Gokkai did, yet wore a dark green headband and had his hair tied with red cloth in a short, bushy ponytail. The man accompanying him had deep jade-green eyes and ragged, henna-brown hair, as well as a small wispy beard that he often playfully stroked with his hand. He also wore large gold hoops in his ears, which reminded Chouji a bit of freshly-cooked onion rings and made him hungry. After inquiring with the beared man about if the crate was now ready for transporting, Gokkai spoke up to them:

"Allow me to introduce you to the fine gentlemen who'll be in charge of my crate on its way to your village. This handsome young fellow here is Harudani Tatsunosuke, my nephew, who's been in my care ever since the death of his parents in a fire three years ago. Since the boy's had very keen interest in wanting to become a ninja, he's learned taijutsu and studied much on ninjutsu and genjutsu. I'd trust him with my life, so he's perfect for this trip in spite of only being 14 years old. And as for this other fellow, he's my most trusted employee, Akayama Ryobi. He's very strong and the greatest when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, so if it comes to having to fight in defense of my wine, he'll be sure to soundly defeat whatever enemy that you may face. Now, let's go and get that crate, shall we? Please follow me this way..."

Leading them towards the building that stood beside Gokkai's home, which was in fact the main facility for his business, he brought them to a place where crates were readied for shipping and were stacked neatly in piles while awaiting transport. The crate that they were to take was put on a small wagon and heavily belted down to ensure no jostling around during the trip. As soon as they got there, Ryobi went up to the wagon and took hold of the leads - looping them around his shoulders. Tatsunosuke took position behind the wagon, and Gokkai asked Asuma and his team to aid in getting it to the village gates. Once they'd gotten it over to the gates, Gokkai respectfully bowed to them and wished them safe passage and the best of luck on their journey. Tatsunosuke gave his uncle a comforting hug, and Ryobi nodded a salute. Then they all were off through the gates on their way towards Konoha.

Tatsunosuke was very friendly, and asked them all sorts of interesting questions about the life of a Konoha ninja. His strong curiousity made Asuma wonder why the boy never signed up for Matsu's own ninja academy. Ryobi obviously didn't like how much Tatsunosuke was talking and just remained quiet most of the time. Even when Chouji asked him if he ate a lot to retain his strength, the man remained silent and kept his focus on the path (Chouji deciding not to speak to him anymore after that). When it got to be around 1pm, Asuma decided that it was high time they stopped to rest and had everyone take refuge under the shade of a large weeping willow. Eating some of the food that Gokkai had sent with them, they enjoyed a rewarding cool breeze that caused the willow's branches to make pleasing sounds as they rustled and rippled in its wake. After a while, Tatsunosuke decided he'd go and explore the surrounding area - and take only Shikamaru with him for the trip. He was very eager to get away and have some fun, and Ino was eager to get Tatsunosuke to quit pestering her with questions about whether or not she was romanticly involved with anyone. As for Chouji, though he wanted to join in on the fun, he was getting really bad vibes from this part of the woods and felt that it'd be best to stay with their sensei. That, and he was delighted to discover that Gokkai had sent a big bag of shrimp-flavored chips along with the other provisions. Asuma wasn't pleased about the idea since they were on a mission and should be taking this seriously. But after Tatsunosuke pleaded with him, and Shikamaru reassured him that it would only be for just an hour or two, he finally agreed that they could go. So while Ino amused herself by writing Sasuke's name in the dirt (and hers along with it inside a heart), and Chouji munched contentedly on the chips he'd found, Tatsunosuke and Shikamaru ran off through the trees on their little adventure.

After about 30 minutes or so, Ryobi told Asuma that he was going to get some fresh water from the river for them to drink. Advising him to be careful, Asuma watched as the burly fellow took off through the trees. All seemed pleasantly comfortable for a while there under the willow, but Asuma knew that it'd be dangerous if he got too relaxed. It was now going on an hour since Ryobi had gone to fetch some water, and the boys hadn't yet returned from their trip. This made the jonin very nervous. Soon more time passed, and just when Ino was about to yell at Chouji to quit rummaging through the provision sachels, a rather panicking shout was heard coming from deep in the woods. It sounded like Shikamaru, and with the urging of their sensei, Ino and Chouji both rushed off to go investigate what was the matter. The area was very thorny and full of tangled vines where they were heading, and it made Ino wonder how the hell those two got through there. After some time of awkward hacking through the mess, they found Shikamaru at last. He was kneeling at the base of a tree, panting, and there was no sign of Tatsunosuke anywhere. Shikamaru was very roughed up, with several bloody cuts on his back and his shoulders. Though a bit in shock, he managed to relate to them that someone in a hooded green robe attacked them from behind. Whoever it was moved at such an incredible speed that Shikamaru couldn't see him. Tatsunosuke mysteriously disappeared amid all the confusion, and all that Shikamaru could do was try to stay alive. Just when he thought his attacker was about to deal him a fatal blow, everything grew silent. For some odd reason, the stranger suddenly gave up and ran off. In an eerie sort of daze for a few minutes, Shikamaru wasn't able to snap out of it until Ino and Chouji had shown up. After he'd relayed his awful experience to them and Ino tried to clean him up, he suddenly realized that Tatsunosuke was still missing and began to call him frantically, Ino and Chouji joining in. It wasn't until several minutes later that they were caught by surprise as a worn-out Tatsunosuke appeared from behind some trees - sporting several cuts and bruises of his own.

Shikamaru: "Where the hell were you all this time? You could've done something to distract that guy from me. Even just a small window of opportunity could have been enough for me to subdue and overpower him. What were you doing, cowering in some bushes like a scared little kid? I know that you're braver than that - your own uncle even said so."

Tatsunosuke (looking upset): "I wasn't cowering in the bushes! If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead right now. That guy wasn't alone, you know - there was a second robed figure with him. After you'd been dealt the first blow and chaos erupted, I saw the other stranger and decided to help you out by leading him away. Hitting him in the head with a stone was certainly enough to get the creep's attention, and as soon as I was sure that I'd hit him, I took off through the trees as fast as I could. It was a pretty rough trip. For one thing, I kept getting scraped up by some thorny branches as I went, and then there's...this..."

Wincing in pain as he spoke, Tatsunosuke brought forth a kunai, shining crimson with a bit of blood on the blade. He flung it in disgust at the ground in front of Shikamaru (where it stuck fast), then turned around to show them a wound that was in the back of his left arm. The wound wasn't that serious, but he had nothing at all to bandage it with.

Tatsunosuke: "Hurts something awful, I can tell you that. And what scares the hell out of me is that I think he was aiming somewhere else. Anyway, I managed to get pretty far before the guy did something weird. He stopped all of a sudden, acted like he was listening for something, and then swore while kicking a tree stump. After that, he just ran off in a direction parallel to where we'd just come from. Out of breath and in pain, I decided to stop and rest before heading back to see what was going on. So, here I am. Sorry if I worried you all. Ch'...owww..."

Ino (pulling out the first aid kit): "Here, let me help you with that. Bandaging cuts like this is something I'm actually quite good at. Now go sit on that rock over there and let me attend to this."

Chouji (whispering to Shikamaru): "Wow, are you lucky. I mean, in spite of the fact that you still got hurt. I wonder what scared off those guys though. Ugh, oh crap...wait a minute. What if... what if that was just some kind of stupid distraction to seperate us from sensei?"

Chouji's eyes got wide in panic as he brought that last part up, and Shikamaru looked pale as he too got the gist of what that might entail. Shouting loudly over to Ino and Tatsunosuke in fright, he stated:

"Hurry up with that bandaging! We've got to get back to Ryobi and sensei... IMMEDIATELY. This might've been a distraction to get us far away from them so it'd be easier for the crate to be seized. Kuso, why'd we have to be such fools and spend time trekking in the woods. Ugh, this is such a bother. Ryobi and Asuma-sensei could be in serious danger right now and it's all our fault. So please hurry. Chouji, you stick with me and try to keep up. We have no idea what we could be getting ourselves into, and I'd like to see if maybe we could try out an old battle strategy that Yamanaka-san told me about once. Ino knows what I'm talking about - the 'Ino-Shika-Chou' manuever. Same one that our folks used to use when they were in a team."

Ino: "Ah, I remember dad telling me about that. Good idea, Shikamaru. But let me remind you that we haven't practiced it yet. You better hope we don't screw it up, or we'd be sure to get our asses kicked for it."

Chouji (whining a little): "Do we have to? Last time I tried using Baika no Jutsu and Nikudan Sensha, I crashed into a fence and got knocked out cold. I don't want to go through that again. And not to mention that I just ate! Doing that'll end up making me puke for sure."

Ino (eyes blazing in fury): "Chouji, quit your griping and shut up! This isn't some training session we're in - this is the real thing. And as co-leader of this team, I say that you do it or else! Asuma-sensei has told us a lot about getting organized and acting more as a team, and kuso, I think it's high time that we should try. Now, let's all get going and find out if everyone and the crate remain unharmed..."

Nodding to each other in agreement, the four of them dashed off back the way they'd come, curiously wondering and dreading what they'd find.  
When they finally arrived, Asuma and the crate were nowhere in sight, nor was Ryobi and his bamboo water holders. What had happened to them? While Tatsunosuke wearily sat down to get some rest at the base of the weeping willow, they searched around for any clues as to what became of their sensei and Ryobi. Shikamaru pointed out that it appeared that the wagon the crate was on had been moved, taken on the very path they'd been planning to follow in order to resume the journey to Konohagakure. At least they didn't find any blood, so that was kind of a good sign. Just then, while Ino was scanning the ground for signs of a struggle, Ryobi suddenly appeared from behind the tree - a scared look in his eyes and gasping for air. After a few odd moments, he finally spoke.

"Your sensei is allright. Got some kunai flung at us, but that was all. He took the crate ahead on the path to get it away from the enemy, while I followed our fleeing attacker off towards the very river I'd visited earlier. Made sure that I wasn't spotted, and overheard them talking about killing all of us. So then I went looking for you, heard your voices, and came here to let you know what's going on..."

Ryobi sat down beside Tatsunosuke and tried his best to calm down. They told him of their harrowing experience and that it must have been some kind of distraction to have easier access to the crate. He curiously examined what Ino had done to help the injured boy and then smirked. Giving the teen a sort of partial hug, he then continued to speak.

"Tatsunosuke, you're definitely lucky that the guy chasing you had such bad aim. Probably since you were a moving target. Okay, what I think we should do right now is take off in the direction that your sensei went with the wagon and hope to run into him before those fiends do. Without us to help him, I'm not that sure your sensei could withstand whatever those guys might try and dish out on him - they're really muscular, and I could see that one of them was wielding a really big and nasty sword. Also heard them speak of there being a third member of their group. Called him 'Shinigami's Tool'. Scares the crap out of me to wonder how he got such a name. Obviously some kind of skilled assassin, that's my best guess. So let's get going...and hope the enemy won't succeed."

With Ryobi's intel to goad them onwards, and the fear of Asuma being attacked by whoever these hooded strangers were, they all hurriedly began following the path that the wagon had been dragged down... 


	3. Asuma Versus Shinryaku

Chapter 3 - "Asuma Versus Shinryaku"

A short while after he'd sent Ino and Chouji off to go find out what Shikamaru was shouting about, Asuma could sense that something sinister was afoot. Suddenly, a hail of kunai came at him from practically out of nowhere and he had to act fast to keep from getting hit. Hearing Ryobi shouting from somewhere in the woods, he was instructed to move the wagon somewhere where he could protect it better. So he proceeded to pull it down the main path. Though he worried about his students, Asuma knew that he'd trained them well enough to fend for themselves in his absence. Feeling he'd gone a very good distance, he went and hid the wagon amid the safety of some towering rock spikes. Whoever was after the crate should have the sense of spotting the tracks he'd made to this point, and they'd probably follow them straight to where Asuma was now hiding in the shadows. But he'd be ready for them, and give them one hell of a 'warm welcome'. All of his senses were alert now, and even the tiniest disturbance would catch his attention. Minutes ticked on, and not a sound was heard that would be that of someone approaching (even in stealth). Asuma was beginning to wonder if maybe leaving the willow wasn't such a bright idea, and was contemplating if he should return to look for Ryobi and his students. But while this was going on, a pair of eyes was watching him from atop one of the rocks. An evil grin came upon the lips of Asuma's watcher, and he tightened a dial on the strange headphone-like device that he wore on his head. Taking out some kind of blowdart gun, the stranger aimed straight for the left side of Asuma's back. Sensing danger, Asuma quickly dropped to the ground - the dart missing his back and hitting him in the shoulder. Immediately removing it once it'd hit, the jonin franticly searched for the dart's origin and its owner. He was already beginning to feel sick and feared that the dart might've contained some kind of poison, but for now ignored it, caring only to find his foe. With a graceful leap, Asuma's attacker jumped down in front of him and smiled gleefully. Asuma was amazed his enemy was so bold to come this close, for he could try to kill this man at such a range. Chuckling darkly, the man said:

"Asuma-san, I see you've hidden yourself and the crate away in the darkest hole you could find...how foolish of you. It's not ordinary thieves you face, and that surely was no ordinary dart I used. Heh."

Going down on his knees, Asuma was feeling dizzy and hot, then winced as he felt a shock of pain erupt inside his chest - making him winded. Getting a much better look at his foe now, he was even more startled to see that he was wearing a Konoha band on his head. But this one had a deep gash crossed through the leaf. He was a genuine "missing-nin", and a criminal. Asuma then recognized him by his long turquoise hair to be an A-class criminal by the name of Aosakana Shinryaku. He was a true master of assasination and adept at making various kinds of poisons for a myriad of uses. And he always targetted his victim's hearts, having a morbid fascination and fetish for the heart. Shinryaku leered at him as he lowered his head to Asuma's level - mocking him in a way by this.

"You feel horrible, don't you? All hot and achy, and in a lot of pain I'm sure. That's my most ingenius concoction that's flowing in your veins right now, Asuma-san. I call it the 'Elixir of Discord'. What it does is rapidly dehydrate your body and cause trauma to your internal organs, especially to the heart. Usually a victim's heart goes into arrythmia and they suffer a heart attack. Or it could make their heart completely stop and they drop down dead as a stone. But I gave you a rather weak dose of it for amusement. Killing you that way isn't really that much fun, and it wouldn't be as brutal as I'd like for it to be. There's an antidote for it, if you'd like to know. A master of poisons like me never makes a custom poison without having an antidote for it (in case of accidents). You could try and fight me for it, but I would suggest you'd better just give up that crate instead. In your current condition, you have no chance at all of defeating me...heh heh heh."

Asuma grimaced as he heard the assasin speak, but then smiled a little. Shinryaku saw this and looked rather annoyed - he was hoping to see a look of fear or suffering on his victim's face. Suddenly, Asuma leaped backwards a ways and armed himself with his favorite weapons, which were a pair of bladed metal knuckles with a knife on one end. Though he was having a lot of discomfort trying to breathe, Asuma stood there looking as brave and defiant as he could. This enraged Shinryaku even more as he pulled out his own weapon - a long dagger that had large, curved spikes on either side of the blade, similar to those on a Sai. Feeling rather confident that Asuma had no chance in hell of even knicking him, Shinryaku then proceeded to toss aside his combat jacket. All he wore underneath was a fishnet-sleeved tan shirt with an emblem that resembled a fierce dark blue fish leaping out of the water. With a smirk on his lips and battle-lust sparkling in his amber-colored eyes, Shinryaku made a swift dash at his foe. But as he advanced, Asuma made no effort at all to get out of the attack's path, as though he'd some kind of death wish. Keeping his gaze on Shinryaku, the valiant jonin stood his ground as his opponent grew dangerously closer by the second. Then, just as Shinryaku was about to plunge his dagger into Asuma's heart, the bearded ninja leaped powerfully into the air and narrowly evaded harm. Shocked by his opponent's amazing speed, Shinryaku let his guard down long enough for Asuma to strike. As he descended from his great leap, Asuma positioned himself in such a way so as to drive his feet into Shinryaku's face and thus sent the man sprawling backwards onto the ground from the force - knocking the dagger out of his hand. Spitting out some blood, Shinryaku was about to jump out of the way when Asuma quickly punched him hard in the stomach and shoved him powerfully into one of the rocky towers. He coughed up quite a lot of blood this time, but tried his best not to lose control of the situation - grabbing hold of Asuma's arm before the jonin had a chance to pull it away from him. Grinning a little insanely and coughing some more, Shinryaku exclaimed in a mocking tone:

"Like I said, you can't defeat me, Asuma-san. You might have managed to get this far and been able to hurt me, but that's all you'll ever get."

Pulling out a dart from one of his pockets, he eyed it happily and then faced Asuma once more - holding the dart very close to the jonin's arm.

"If I shove this dart in your arm, it'll make the poison inside of you become full force in strength. So no matter what you may do to me after that, you'll die very soon... A painful and miserable death!"

Asuma (looking very serious): "I don't think you truly realize what you've gotten yourself into right now, Shinryaku. I see that you've gotten a bit too cocky since last time we met, because you certainly haven't grasped the imminent danger that you're in. Thus, may your great foolishness be your downfall...KURAE!"

Moving with impressive speed for someone in as poor health that he was at the moment, Asuma kicked the dart out of Shinryaku's grasp, while punching him in the stomach with his iron-knuckled free hand. Letting go of Asuma's arm over the force and pain from the blow, Shinryaku left himself wide open for another attack. Asuma took full advantage of this and in one swift move, shoved one of his blades into the ninja's chest. Shinryaku widely eyed Asuma with a look of shock and disbelief on his face as he limply slouched against the rock. Asuma heatedly demanded he tell him the location of the poison's antidote or he'd make him suffer even more before death took him. Weakly fumbling inside of a pocket, Shinryaku brought forth a vial filled with a cloudy green liquid and said that he'd need to take half of it. Still astonished over being so quickly defeated, Shinryaku kept on staring bug-eyed at Asuma while the fatally wounded man's breathing became more and more labored. Removing his blade after a few moments, Asuma allowed his opponent to fall into a sitting position - blood now speedily coursing from the deep wound. His eyes slowly closing, Shinryaku managed to use what little life that he had left within him to speak to his opponent.

"I'm amazed. But it's not... unexpected. You were... one of the best... in the academy. I suppose then... it should be... an honor... to die by your hand. So I ask... that you'd allow me... a last request."

Asuma: "Fine, then, I suppose. What is it that you wish?"

"Take my tools... and scrolls. Keep what you'd like... give the rest... to my brother, Daikin. Take my money... if you wish. It's because of that... which led me... to leave Konoha. And when I'm gone... please bury my ashes... on my clan's plot. Let me at least... have some shred of honor... in my passing. Despite... all the evils I've done."

Asuma nodded in response to Shinryaku's request, and the dying ninja mustered a small smile - the last decent thing he'd ever do. Then, with a final shuddering breath, he closed his eyes and quietly passed away. Though he'd become a criminal, Asuma felt sorry for Shinryaku and vowed to fulfill his dying wish. Then he feverishly remembered the poison that still flowed in his blood and hurriedly searched Shinryaku for something that he could administer the antidote with. Finding a sterile needle in a plastic pouch, he quickly injected himself with the green solution and rested against a rock while he allowed it to take effect. Taking this moment to remove Shinryaku's belongings from his body, Asuma marveled over the strange things he owned. In addition to all his scrolls, many containing information on crafting poisons, as well as a few darts and a pouch containing poisoned tetsubishi, there was the odd high-tech device that he wore on his head. Placing it on his own head, Asuma fiddled with the buttons and came to the interesting conclusion that it was used for listening to heartbeats. Besides that, it only picked up the heartbeat of whoever was in the wearer's line of vision. Perhaps this weird thing was used for satisfying his disturbing fetish as much as it was used for assasination purposes. Setting it aside once he'd learned of it's use, Asuma continued to gather together everything else worth taking from the dead man and hid them in various places on his person. It felt very weird to be doing this, like he was lowering himself to the level of a bandit in taking all of the man's belongings. But he'd asked him to do it, so at least it wasn't so wrong. And as soon as he'd finished, feeling much better now as the antidote was being pumped through his bloodstream, Asuma placed the dead body inside of the wagon and wondered what his next course of action should be... 


	4. Ryobi's Deception

Chapter 4 - "Ryobi's Deception"

It'd been almost an hour now since the three genin and their companions had begun following the path Asuma had taken, and the young ninja were beginning to wonder how much longer it would be before they caught up with their sensei. And something weird was going on - Tatsunosuke kept giving odd looks at Ryobi as though he were somehow afraid of him. He'd been doing that ever since the man had given him a hug earlier. And all Ryobi did was ignore him and focus on keeping a lookout all around them as they traveled. Soon they arrived at the same rocks that Asuma had been sitting near only a short while before, but all they found when they got there was evidence of the fight with Shinryaku. Forcing the kids aside, Ryobi rushed to investigate the dart which Asuma stuck fast in a nearby tree. He looked rather angry at it for a few moments, then sighed before turning to face his companions and explain his findings.

"Looks like one of them got to your sensei before us. If this dart's what I think it is, then I'm afraid Asuma-san doesn't have much time left to live. This thing severely messes up your heart and almost always kills its target. Definitely the work of an expert assassin.  
And all this blood around here is a sign of a major battle. I'd say that either the attacker was mortally wounded, or both him and your sensei were injured in the fight to produce this much."

Just then, he noticed the wagon tracks leading farther into the woods and how very deeply they cut into the ground - evidence of there being more weight added to the wagon. He wondered what this might mean, but then dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come to him. The genin were looking pretty damn worried after hearing what he'd said about the dart and all the blood, and Tatsunosuke was looking even more nervous. Sighing, Ryobi then continued to speak (but with a more serious tone).

"I think I know the place your sensei might be headed, and it's a good thing - there's a shortcut through the woods that can get us there much faster than the rate he's probably going at. We'd be able to arrive there before he does. And if we're lucky that he's wounded, bloodloss might have made him lose most of the dart's poison. That doesn't mean your sensei can't still die from it, but it'd give him a whole lot more time before its effects turn fatal. So let's all get moving!"

Trying their best to keep up, Tatsunosuke and the three genin hurried after Ryobi as they all dashed off through the trees. Sticking close to Chouji while they traveled, Shikamaru cautiously whispered to him:

"Something doesn't feel right about this plan. How do we know if sensei is going to this place Ryobi-san spoke of? And I've been noticing that ever since we ran into him again under the willow, Tatsunosuke's been acting weird in his presence - almost like he's afraid of him for some reason. I'm getting the vibe that we might be rushing into some trap, so keep sharp and be careful. Now excuse me, I'm going to go tell Ino."

Chouji nodded in agreement as Shikamaru went off to warn their comrade. He'd been having the same feeling since Shikamaru and Tatsunosuke had gone off to explore, and wondered if their sensei was okay and what might happen next. This was beginning to look more and more like it wasn't going to be a Rank-C mission anymore and might prove to be too much for them. Not that long after Shikamaru warned his team of what might lie ahead, Ryobi slowed down and instructed them all to stop. Sitting down on an old tree stump, he told them to rest a bit and that they'd reached the place they were seeking. After quick investigation, all it looked like was a small clearing with a hunter's cabin tucked away in one corner of it. The building looked badly made and very old, as if it would fall to pieces in the next big storm that came along. If this place was a to be a haven of some sort, it didn't feel that safe. Even Ino could sense that there's was something kind of odd about this place, and she looked rather nervous. Speaking up after a few moments of cautiously peering around, she questioned Ryobi.

"Are you certain that our sensei might come here? This place doesn't really look like much of a refuge. Looks more like a decrepit old ruin than a good place to hide out in - and I don't think sensei would want to stay in an area as open as this when there are enemies around."

Ryobi suddenly gave Ino a slightly fiendish-looking grin, and with amazing speed, rushed behind Tatsunosuke and grasped him in a strong embrace - a kunai hovering over the startled teenager's chest. He darkly chuckled at the looks on their faces, and drew his kunai a bit closer to his hostage. Laughing after Tatsunosuke moaned, he said:

"What naive little monkeys you all are. And you actually thought that I'd wanted to help your sensei? So amusing. All I care about is the very massive amount of money that me and my associates are going to get from ransoming this kid. We don't care about the wine, though I'm sure it'd fetch a nice price if handed over to one of Gokkai's competitors. That bastard has cheated me for the last time, so I figured taking his precious nephew prisoner might be enough to make him pay. Getting some nukenin to help me out was a fine idea, as well. If any of them gets killed, it just means more profit for me...heh heh heh. And I must say that bit of acting you did back there was fantastic, Tatsunosuke. The whole 'kicked at a tree and took off' b-s was a great way to cover up our little meeting in the woods after I had Shikamaru get distracted. So I guess this means I'll have to kill you all now, but I'm not stupid enough to take on three genin by myself. HEY USOUNE! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Suddenly, the decaying old cabin behind Ryobi disappeared like a swirl of green mist, and a tall ninja with spiky red hair appeared as the illusion was dispelled. Shikamaru smacked a hand to his head in utter annoyance of not having seen through the genjutsu technique. Usoune was not only quite tall, but very muscular, and carried on his back a large vicious razor-edged sword covered in mystical engravings. In addition to wearing rather tattered grey combat gear and a big mottled poncho, he had on his head a hitai-ate from Kiri no Kuni (a gash struck through its symbol like the one worn by Shinryaku). As he appeared from hiding behind his illusion, he'd removed a hooded green cloak off of himself. Obviously, the cloaks used by him and Ryobi were meant to conceal their identity from the ninja, but didn't do that much of a good job hiding Ryobi from Tatsunosuke when they'd met earlier. Grinning, he took his sword from his back and came to stand beside Ryobi (now struggling to keep his hold on Tatsunosuke, who was trying to get free in spite of the risk of being stabbed). Shikamaru looked nervous as he faced this dilemma, and though he looked so scared to the others, in his mind he was quickly formulating a plan to deal with this mess. As he stood there trying to keep Tatsunosuke still, Ryobi smirked when he saw the looks of fear in the genin's eyes and felt confident his plan would soon be successful. But as his eyes met Shikamaru's, his face suddenly gained a look of concern, for the young ninja was not at all afraid now and in fact, looked quite serious. At that moment, Shikamaru gave an odd hand signal to Chouji, and the husky boy nodded back at him with a determined look on his face. With a big squeal of immature blubbering, Chouji proceeded to throw a tantrum - whining that they were going to die and that he'd never enjoy his mother's lovely cooking ever again. This gave both Ryobi and Usoune a major headache, and Usoune begged Ryobi to let him run his sword through the annoying 'fat-ass'. With a look of cold fury, Chouji suddenly halted in his fit and with one eye twitching, asked the swordmaster what he'd just said. Seeing that it bothered him a lot, Usoune teased him and called him a fat-assed pig. This made the boy look so red in the face that it seemed like he might burst into flames. And though not planned, Chouji getting angry was a good part of the distraction which was allowing Shikamaru to quietly sneak up behind Ryobi unnoticed. Fast as lightning, Tatsunosuke was quickly and carefully wrenched loose from Ryobi's grasp and whisked away to freedom in the trees above everyone. Shouting in rage, Ryobi ordered Usoune to kill them and get their hostage back unharmed. A look of delighted battle-lust showing in the nukenin's eyes, he rushed at Chouji with sword ready to plunge into the boy. At that moment, they heard Shikamaru call out from the trees above - "Team #10, to battle! Ino-Shika-Chou!!!" Grinning with almost fiendish joy, Ino begged Chouji to take care of her body for a few moments. Nodding in reply, he caught her limp form as she used her special move 'Shintenshin no Jutsu' and possessed Ryobi's body. Just when Usoune was about to stab Chouji, he was punched in the head by his own associate. Reeling from the blow and a bit stunned, he cursed at Ryobi and asked him what the hell that'd been for. Ino inside of him smirked and told him to shut up. In anger, the nukenin was about to hit him when suddenly he discovered that he couldn't move. Looking at his feet, he saw that his own shadow had been connected to another, which he followed with his eyes along the ground and up a tree to where Shikamaru stood defiantly. The genin laughed at the confused look on the man's face and then proudly exclaimed:

"How'd you like that move, Usoune? 'Kage Mane no Jutsu' is certainly a technique they don't teach in Kirigakure. Mostly members of the Nara clan are those who've mastered it's many tactical and combative uses. The only reason I didn't use it on you right away was that I needed to find a place where the sunlight was coming strongest through the trees. So just sit tight and wait for the real fireworks to begin. Hey Ino! Have Ryobi give this nukenin a hug for me, will ya? Heh heh heh..."

In a vicelike grip, Ino made Ryobi tightly wrap his arms around Usoune. The man painfully grunted from how hard the embrace constricted him. Taking out a rope from inside of the sachel Ryobi carried, Ino made him securely bind his hands up with Usoune's hands. Once that'd been done, Ino shouted 'kai' and then quickly released Ryobi from her control. He was very confused and infuriated to find himself tied up with Usoune. Jumping down from where he'd been hiding in the trees, Tatsunosuke rushed over to Ino and made sure that she was allright. Now trapping Ryobi within his shadow, Shikamaru boldly shouted out:

"Chouji! Remember what this creep called you? FAT-ASS. I think that it's high time that you made him pay for that tremendous insult."

Once more Chouji's face started getting red at the thought of what he'd been called. Looking very serious, he did 'Baika no Jutsu' and became like a giant ball. Usoune laughed at this and called him a 'lardball'. But he wasn't laughing for long when Chouji shouted "Nikudan Sensha!" and started to rapidly spin right towards them - his speed increasing the closer he got. Releasing the men from Kage Mane no Jutsu, Shikamaru leaped out of the tree that he'd been in. At that moment, Chouji rammed powerfully into the men and shoved them into the tree with such force that it broke in half. When the dust settled, Chouji sat sprawled on the ground looking very dizzy and ill. Ryobi and Usoune were roughed up and knocked out cold at the tree's jagged stump. Shikamaru smiled, very pleased that Ino-Shika-Chou had been such a fantastic success... 


	5. From One Trouble to the Next

Chapter 5 - "From One Trouble To The Next"

After they'd tied Ryobi and Usoune securely to a tree near the one Chouji had smashed them into, Shikamaru and the others discussed what they should do next. The one thing on their minds was to keep looking for Asuma and hope that he was okay. Tatsunosuke then deeply apologized to all of them for hiding that he'd found out about Ryobi being a foe. Shikamaru told him to forget about it, for what he'd done was a very wise idea at the time. They wouldn't have captured Usoune if they'd already known of Ryobi's plans and attacked him prematurely. Feeling a great sense of relief, Tatsunosuke managed to smile. Then Shikamaru got serious again and reminded them of the need to find their sensei. So after Chouji took a few minutes to go 'answer the call of nature', they all quickly set off through the woods - traveling through the trees in case they should meet with Ryobi's second partner who'd fought Asuma. They'd only been leaping from tree to tree for an hour when Shikamaru suddenly halted and shouted at them to stop as well. Panting a bit as they joined him, Chouji wheezing loudly, they asked what was wrong. Putting a finger to his lips, he motioned to them to be quiet and then pointed down through the foliage to the ground below. It looked as though someone was moving down there, but there were so many branches blocking the way that it was very hard to see who it was. Descending silently from the tree, Shikamaru went to investigate while everyone waited anxiously above. It was at that moment an amazing realization popped into Ino's head. The entire time they'd been dealing with Ryobi and Usoune, they hadn't bickered at all and were actually working like a real team would. If only Asuma had seen them, he would be so proud. Hearing Shikamaru call up to them loudly, Ino shook herself out of her daze and back to reality. He rushed up the tree towards them with a rather joyful look on his face, excitedly calling out as he came:

"Come down, everyone! I've found Asuma-sensei, and he's allright!"

So glad to hear him say that, they all climbed down as fast as they were able and soon were crowded around Asuma and the wagon - telling him of all that'd happened after they left the shade of the willow. He frowned when they explained about Ryobi's plan to ransom Tatsusnouke. But upon hearing of how they'd captured him and Usoune, their sensei gained a bright grin. Though trying not to show how worried he was, he told them of how proud he was to hear of their excellent teamwork. Then his smile soon faded as he explained to them about fighting Shinryaku, showing them his body and letting them know of his wish to be buried on his family's burial plot in Konohagakure. He used it as an opportunity to teach them the importance of not letting greed ruin their lives and the lives of those they care for. They all hung their heads in silence for a bit after hearing what he had to say on the matter. Letting out a deep sigh, Asuma spoke up to them on what they should do next:

"We'll need to backtrack the way that you came, and apprehend those criminals you tied up. Once we've done that, then it's straight home for us. No stops along the way - too much time has been wasted enough. There's only a few miles left from here, so I say we should hurry."

Nodding in agreement with their sensei, the three genin and Tatsunosuke dashed ahead of Asuma and the wagon as they led the way back to where they'd left Ryobi and Usoune. Chouji felt as though a very heavy load had been lifted off his chest over finding Asuma, so he was enjoying the trip back to the clearing despite nearly getting killed not long before in that place. Shikamaru was just as relieved, for he didn't like being the only one in charge. Ino, though grateful that their sensei was alive, was actually more thrilled to be heading home again. And Tatsunosuke was very glad that he hadn't ended up being a hostage. A short while later as they neared the clearing, a grim sight met them as they approached where the two men had been tied. Ryobi lay unbound on the ground beside the tree, his heart ripped out of him and stuck to the tree with a scroll, and a kunai stabbed through them. Ino looked like she was going to puke, noticing that the heart quivered a little. Asuma removed the kunai from it and let it fall as he took the scroll.

"It's from Usoune. He says that Ryobi revealed to him how he planned to kill him after getting the ransom money from Gokkai-san. So he used his sword to break free and 'plucked the lying heart' out of Ryobi's chest. This isn't good... he says that he still wishes to take Tatsunosuke and get ransom money for him, and that he's giving us a head start. Guess this guy likes to play with his foes like a predator with its prey."

Tatsunosuke looked quite spooked to hear this, but all of a sudden, his face changed. He appeared very brave and determined, fire in his eyes. In a bold tone he addressed everyone, not a hint of fear in his voice:

"I'm not going to cower anymore! If that guy thinks he can get me, let him go ahead and try. It's high time that I acted more like a ninja if I ever have a chance at becoming one. I'm going to show him who'll be the one to be afraid... and kick his sorry ass into oblivion!"

Chouji heartily congratulated him for this courageous little speech, and both Ino and Shikamaru seemed inspired by it. It brought joy to Asuma to see the boy decide to make a stand in defending himself. Then suddenly a shock overcame him that made him look frightened - worrying his students once they noticed. He apologized and explained that he'd been wondering why the name Usoune seemed so familiar to him. With a feverish realization, he'd remembered who he was - Hitomizu Usoune, one of the legendary "Seven Swordsmen" of Kiri no Kuni. They were greatly feared by many for their almost inhuman skill with a sword, and many of them possessed powerful and freakishly large or weird blades. And one thing he knew about Usoune was that his weapon was certainly odd, known as the "Chinonami" (Wave of Blood). It is said that its razor edge has been coated with some kind of anticoagulant, which makes any wound it makes bleed continuously. That sword has a few other strange abilities, but no one really knew what those were. Asuma told them in spite of how immature Usoune might have acted earlier, he's a cold-blooded assassin and capable of easily killing even Konoha's most elite ninja. Just a small cut from Chinonami could become fatal. Demanding that they all be extremely cautious if soon confronted by this man, Asuma ordered them to focus on going home. Thinking that Tatsunosuke's courage might have been abated from hearing such horrid things about their enemy, Ino tried to cheer him up by hugging him. The teen blushed from receiving such a gift, and it seemed to be effective enough to renew his fire. It was rather unsettling for them as they reached the main road again, getting a bit paranoid in the fear of meeting up with Usoune. A few times Chouji had to do a double-take behind him to make sure he hadn't seen a shadow creeping up on him, which annoyed the heck out of Ino. She complained about it to Shikamaru, but he seemed to be too caught up in his own thoughts to care to listen to her. All he could think about was how lucky they'd been not to get cut by Usoune's sword, and how very fortunate it was that Ino-Shika-Chou had worked. But if they met with Usoune again, would such a maneuver have a chance to succeed for a second time? The nukenin had already experienced it, and would be able to come up with a way to dodge their attacks (well, his and Chouji's, anyway; not sure how Ino's could be dodged, but anything's possible). Then a wonderful idea came to him - what if there was something that Tatsunosuke could do for them? Gokkai-san had said that he'd done lots of research on ninjutsu and genjutsu in his desire to become a ninja. Yes...that'd be their trumpcard. But the trick was getting to know as to what sort of attacks were known by Tatsunosuke, and figuring out if they could be used in combination with those of the team. Walking close beside him, Shikamaru asked him about what techniques he was confident he could perform if he had to. The teen's eyes lit up as though it was something he'd been dying to be asked, and he began going down quite a list to the delighted amazement of Shikamaru. Once Tatsunosuke had done going over the list of techniques he knew, there was an odd silence as Shikamaru considered all of them in his head before he gave an answer.

"Very good. I wanted to know this in case we should run into Usoune, because he already knows our best combo and could avoid our attacks. Thanks to all those techniques, I think we can come up with a pretty excellent 'welcome' to give Usoune whenever he shows up. Wow, for someone who's never been to a ninja academy, you sure do know a lot."

Tatsunosuke blushed out of embarassment. Not many people complimented him on his intelligence before and it felt real good. So as they kept following the main road, the two boys discussed their strategy for what to do when Usoune should strike. Eventually, Ino and Chouji wanted in on the conversation and all four of them seriously debated the plan. Then Asuma got interested in what they'd been talking about and they had to go over it all again for him. Soon, Shikamaru had devised a plan that let everyone have a major role in, and they confidently felt ready for whatever Usoune might try and dish out on them when he appeared. As they drew near the long stretch of road that led towards Konohagakure, everyone wondered if maybe Usoune had chickened out on trying to nab Tatsunosuke so close to the village. But all of a sudden, they were forced to stop dead in their tracks when Usoune jumped down onto the road from a hiding spot he'd been in up in the trees. Grinning darkly, he faced them with his vicious blade held in a very awkward position. Instead of holding it towards them to strike or defend, it was held as though he intended to stab it into his chest. He laughed when he saw the odd expressions on several of their faces, and boldly shouted:

"Last time we met was an embarassment to a ninja as skilled as I. This time I'll make sure you know of my true power, and quickly send all of you to the afterlife! Behold my greatest technique - the kekkei genkai of my clan and bringer of your doom... Chi no Yoroi!!!"

An almost crazed look on his face now, Usoune immediately shoved his sword into his chest and held it there as he endured the pain. Slowly, he drew the jagged blade back out of himself, and blood could be seen rhythmicly pumping from his wound. Did he stab himself in the heart? Holding the blade in an offensive battle stance, Usoune closed his eyes while chanting mystical words. The wound in his chest began to glow, and soon blood started flowing in greater amount from it. The blood became like a second skin, covering his whole body except for his face. Then as shocking as it had been when he stabbed himself, Usoune's blood covering transformed into what appeared to be spiked armor. He now bore bladelike claws on his knuckles, and his elbows had long spikes on the ends of them. As the final part of this transformation, more blood flowed from his wound and formed a strange, armored plate on his chest over where his heart was located. Then the blood coating the end of his sword began growing until it became a larger, more deadlier-looking version of his fiercesome blade. Now fully complete, the armor looked somewhat like demonic samurai armor that'd fused with Usoune's body. He gave a cruel sneer at their reactions to his new form, and commented.

"There's no way that any of you can defeat me now. With the blood from my heart, I forged this 'armor of blood'. Wearing this, I'm invincible! Not even the most powerful weapons or jutsus can penetrate my armor's rock-hard exterior. Surrender now and I may let you live...ha ha ha." 


	6. Shinzougiri no Jutsu

Chapter 6 - "Shinzougiri no Jutsu"

Usoune might have been boasting of how invincible he was, but Asuma could tell that his kekkei genkai made him exhausted with how much he was wheezing. This was certainly not something Shikamaru had even dared think of when he came up with his plan of attack. It was so weird. And even Tatsunosuke, who'd been so confident up until now, seemed to be wavering in the hope of being able to defeat this nukenin. Usoune was filled with joy as he stared at them, thinking that victory would soon be in his grasp. Taking advantage of how stunned they were, he rushed at Asuma in eagerness to strike him with the evolved Chinonami. Acting quickly, Shikamaru gave out orders to everyone and they countered his attack - saving Asuma from certain death. Things had just started, but already it was looking pretty grim for Asuma's team. In a matter of minutes, Usoune had succeeded in knocking Ino unconcious and sending poor Chouji flying into a tree (cutting his head on a branch). Asuma was getting tired, but he knew it'd be certain death should he fail (and for his students as well). Tatsunosuke was doing pretty well, having annoyed Usoune a lot in displaying his skill with teleportation ('poofing' out of harms' way whenever Usoune tried to strike). But using that technique was beginning to wear down the young man and it'd be dangerous for him to use it further. Shikamaru fetched his injured teammates and took them off to a safe place to rest, all the while racking his brain for an excellent strategy he could use. When he returned to the battle, he could tell that Tatsunosuke wouldn't last much longer with how many times he kept teleporting. Pulling him aside while Asuma clashed with Usoune for a bit, Shikamaru questioned him on whether he had an idea of how to defeat this monster. Watching as Asuma and Usoune fought, a radical idea then sprang into Tatsunosuke's head. The key to defeating their opponent wasn't from a ninjutsu or genjutsu technique, but good old fashioned taijutsu. This was rather puzzling to Shikamaru when he was informed of it, because how could a physical attack be of any use to someone protected against such things? Putting a finger to his lips for secrecy, Tatsunosuke revealed to him that he'd learned of a great little-known attack called 'Shinzougiri no Jutsu'. It was more than just taijutsu - it is combined with ninjutsu. If he could get close enough to Usoune to use the technique, Tatsunosuke might be able to pull it off. Shikamaru understood what would need to be done, and agreed to help as best as he could. Calling out to Asuma to retreat for a bit, the boys walked towards the enemy with courage blazing in their eyes. Usoune wondered what they could be up to with a look like that, and just stood there waiting. He mocked them and asked if they "wanted to go running home crying to their mothers". This made Shikamaru sneer in disgust as he began their plan. Since there was plenty of light around, Kage Mane no Jutsu was able to succeed without a hitch and Usoune got frozen to the ground as he had earlier that day. The armored ninja just scoffed at this sad attempt at trying to win, but his jovial attitude changed once he looked at Tatsunosuke's determined face as the boy walked boldly up to him. A lot like the famed genin Rock Lee, he assumed an intimidating stance and looked ready to strike as he faced Usoune with fury surging in his eyes.

"This is for thinking you can underestimate me just because I'm not a real ninja, and for Shikamaru's teammates whom you hurt. Invincible? You may boast that, but allow me to show the flaw in your armor."

Placing a hand near Usoune's chest, Tatsunosuke held it that way for a few moments. Blue aura could soon be seen engulfing his hand while he focused a large amount of chakra into it. Usoune had no clue what was going on and watched him curiously. When he'd concentrated the right amount of chakra, Tatsunosuke shouted his attack mightly as he shoved his hand straight at the armor plate which protected Usoune's heart. Shikamaru released him from his hold just as Tatsunosuke attacked, and the armored ninja reeled backwards from the blow and staggered a bit - staring at the boy in utter shock. Suddenly, the armor faded into a red mist and disappeared as Usoune went down on his knees. He clutched a hand to his chest and weakly gasped for air. Then, as quickly as the armor had left, Usoune collapsed limply to the ground. Asuma cautiously went over to him and tried to feel his pulse, but found he had none. Tatsunosuke grinned, but since his move used up a lot of chakra, the poor boy then fainted. A short while later he regained conciousness to find himself being cradled in the arms of Asuma (looking very worried). He asked the boy what he did that killed Usoune which such great ease. Trying to make it simple enough to understand, Tatsunosuke said that he'd created an invisible blade with chakra similar to a technique used by medinin for field surgery. Though the armored plate was sturdy enough to handle the blows of taijutsu attacks, and able to deflect most ninjutsu, it couldn't block both attacks at the same time. The chakra blade pierced through the plate like butter and made a gaping hole inside of Usoune's heart. Since he'd no idea of what was going on, Usoune didn't have time to use regeneration to heal (as he'd done making the armor) before his heart stopped beating. Asuma was greatly impressed and told Tatsunosuke that if he ever did pursue becoming a ninja, he could have a written letter of reference from him. Tatsunosuke smiled at his offer and thanked him. Meanwhile, Shikamaru had managed to finally awaken Ino from her swoon and both of them were uncomfortably carting Chouji over to where Asuma and Tatsunosuke were sitting. Chouji had blood down the front of him from the wound he'd gotten flying off into the woods, and he was pretty woozy from bloodloss. After Ino helped Asuma doctor the injured boy, they all sat in a circle discussing the battle (or namely, telling Ino and Chouji about all they'd missed). Sunset was dawning upon them, and painted the sky like it had been set furiously ablaze. Making sure everything was secure first, Asuma then began pulling the wagon as they started off towards the gates of Konohagakure looming in the distance. Along the way, Tatsunosuke had to go over again to the others about how he'd defeated Usoune with Shinzougiri no Jutsu and begged them not to say a word of it to anyone in their village. Shikamaru became highly suspicious that it could be a Kinjutsu (forbidden technique), but a very flustered Tatsunosuke tried to assure him that it wasn't at all. No way would he ever dare to use something dangerous and illegal like that during a battle. So they eventually agreed to keep it a secret and eagerly rushed down the road in the hope of reaching home before it got dark outside (when they locked the gates). Asuma was glad to see his students acting their usual selves again, and looked forward to getting home as well (though he certainly didn't look forward to dealing with the Aosakana clan over the burial of Shinryaku). He sighed and got out his pack of cigarettes, only to find that he'd misplaced his lighter. And though a bit annoyed over this, he figured he could wait until he arrived at home to look for another one that he owned. By then he'd really need a good smoke, after all the crap that he'd been through. When the five of them finally arrived at the gates, the sky had started to become hazy shades of violet and purple. Afraid that the gates might be closed soon, they all tried their best to rush quickly to reach them in time to be let inside by the guards. That was kind of hard since Chouji was still woozy from losing blood and wasn't able to move that fast because of it. But despite that little setback, they made it and were able to get into the village - a wonderful sight for Tatsunosuke who'd never been to anywhere outside of Matsugakure. Even though they'd seen everything a million times and were bored of it all, that didn't matter to Tatsunosuke, who kept asking all sorts of questions as they walked towards the village square. Passing by the Ichiraku ramen shop, they were startled from a shout that came from Naruto. He'd been there eating dinner after a very hard day of doing nothing but lousy Rank-D missions since sunrise (such as pulling weeds, walking someone's dog, or picking up trash). Spotting Tatsunosuke and seeing how beat-up and dirty everyone was, he could tell they'd been through some action.

"Awww man, you guys got to go do a cool mission and I got stuck with some lame crap? KUSO! It's not fair! Not fair at all...grrr..."

Shikamaru (rolling his eyes): "It wasn't that great, believe me. You would've gotten yourself killed or something if you'd been there."

Chouji (looking pained): "Owww, Shikamaru, don't talk so loud. My head really hurts. Can we please hurry up and get going again? I want to go home to have dinner with my folks. And after that, go straight to bed."

Ino (looking impatient): "Yeah. I want to get home too. See you 'round, Naruto. Oh, and next time you see him... (gets all lovey-dovey) could you please tell Sasuke-kun that I said 'hello'? I'd appreciate it."

Naruto looked annoyed at her request, mumbling things under his breath. If Ino had noticed that, she would've choked him for it, but luckily for him, she didn't. As they prepared to go their seperate ways, Naruto waved goodbye to them before returning to his meal. Asuma felt it might be a good thing to introduce Tatsunosuke to Konoha's famous ramen shop and they both sat down beside Naruto (who was already happily slurping up noodles into his mouth). Ordering some Tonkotsu ramen, Asuma was glad to hear much delighted praise from the boy after he'd tried some of it - commenting on it being the most delicious thing he'd ever had in his life (How sad it that? Oh well). Naruto was shocked to hear that Tatsunosuke had never had anything like that before and asked if he was from a far away land. Asuma chuckled and told him that he was from the small neighboring land, Matsu no Kuni. He also mentioned how wealthy Gokkai-san was and that he probably didn't think of ramen as being a "gourmet food". Naruto growled and said something about how stupid that was, then quickly changed his tune and cheerfully asked Tatsunosuke if he was going to live in Konoha - then he could eat at Ichiraku every day if he wished to. The boy looked a little sad and told him that he was merely visiting, and that he didn't wish to upset or offend his uncle if he were to leave his care. Gokkai had promised Tatsunosuke's father that he'd protect him until he was an adult and mature enough to live on his own. Tatsunosuke understood how important that promise was and didn't want his father's final wish to be ruined. But he smiled and told Naruto that once he was old enough, he might consider leaving Matsugakure and come to live in this village. Naruto looked delighted to hear this and the two of them spent the next hour talking about such things most young boys are into (even pretty girls). Soon Asuma had to break up their fun to remind them that someone might make a scene if they spotted Shinryaku's dead body in the cart, and it was time they delivered the crate to its destination. Naruto looked disturbed to hear that he was so close to a dead body, then looked quite bummed, for he liked hanging out with "Tatsu" (as he enjoyed calling him for short). Tatsunosuke said he was sorry that they had to leave, and thanked Naruto for such a fun time they had talking. Waving goodbye to him, Tatsunosuke followed Asuma as he pulled the cart off to where the wine crate was to be delivered. Naruto vigorously waved back and shouted out after him as they pulled away from the shop, happily exclaiming:

"Don't forget Tatsu - when you're grown up, come live here in Konoha. Heh heh heh...I'm sure that I'll be Hokage by then, and I'll definitely give you a welcome to remember! Oh, and do try to get that silly uncle of yours to go and buy some ramen for you soon!!!"

Tatsunosuke smiled brightly as he heard Naruto, and felt so happy that he didn't even notice how dark the street was that they'd just turned into to walk down. And though he loved Konohagakure, the boy couldn't help but want to return home just so he could tell his uncle about all that'd happened to him on this thrilling journey...what a tale to tell! 


	7. Celebrations and Farewells

Chapter 7 - "Celebrations And Farewells"

The next morning, Shikamaru and his teammates still had the details of their trip fresh in their minds, and so they all enjoyed telling (and for some, retelling) their families of what'd happened. Elsewhere, in a room of Konohagakure's finest inn, Tatsunosuke sleepily yawned as he awoke and discovered that he wasn't alone. Asuma was standing there with a big smile on his face and a bento box in one hand. He kindly offered it to Tatsunosuke, and the boy hungrily tore into the tasty meal that it contained. Asuma discussed with him during his breakfast on how he would need to appear before the Hokage along with the others to relate their side of their ordeal. Tatsunosuke wasn't too happy about that, but understood it was important and couldn't be avoided. Some encouraging news to hear was that he'd be getting an ANBU escort on the trip back home to ensure his saftey along the way. Once that the bento box had been emptied, Tatsunosuke washed up and made himself look decent before he went to meet with Hokage-sama and the village council. Soon as he finished getting ready, Asuma escorted him out the door and they headed off towards the office of the Hokage - doing their best to navigate through the busy streets. As this was going on, meanwhile in another part of the village, Shikamaru was rounding up his teammates for them to travel together to meet with Hokage-sama. He'd just gotten hold of Ino, and the two of them were now going to Chouji's house to see if he was ready to leave. When they arrived, there was a lot of yelling going on. Nervously, Shikamaru knocked on the front door. A few moments later, Chouji came rushing to the door in a huff, and looked rather joyful as he greeted them. He had a big bandage on his head from yesturday, and Shikamaru wonderd why Chouji's parents didn't think it was serious enough to have him checked out at the hospital. Seeing how delighted Chouji looked, and though reluctant to ask, Ino queried:

"What's going on, Chouji, and what's with the sappy grin on your face? Did your parents win the village lottery or something???"

Shikamaru (smirking): "Yeah, Chouji...come on, spill it!"

Chouji was still catching his breath from running to the door, and once he'd felt better, he let them know of what was going on in his home.

"I told my folks about how we were able to successfully use that combo, Ino-Shika-Chou, to whoop the badguys. My dad was overly thrilled, but then when I reminded him of getting a free dinner at that one fancy restaurant, he flipped. Guess my dad's always wanted to go there...heh. So we're off to meet with the Hokage? I hope we're not there too long, because my dad promised to take me out to lunch later. All-you-can-eat Yakitori, with some Tenmusu, and Sakura-Uiro to follow! Oh yummm..."

Shikamaru (looking bored): "Allright, we get the point. Now stop making us hungry talking about food and let's hurry up and get going, okay? It'll really make us look bad if we're late...and get in big trouble."

Ino (running ahead of them): "Last one to reach Hokage-sama's place is a dirty, trampled rice ball!" (razzes at them, then continues running)

Not wishing to be called a dirty rice ball, the two boys hurried after Ino as the three of them raced through streets and alleys. They hadn't gotten that far when all of a sudden, they had to stop abruptly to keep from crashing into a person who'd appeared right in front of them. It was Akimichi Choumaru, and he eyed his son with a slightly stern look. Shikamaru and Ino looked worried when they saw that look on his face, and wondered if Chouji had gotten in trouble for something. But as suddenly as he'd appeared in the road, Choumaru stopped looking serious and embraced his son in a gentle hug. Patting him on the back, he said:

"You left so fast that I had to run to get ahead of you three. Chouji, you shouldn't travel so fast with a head injury. And as for you..."

(At that moment, he gave a reproachful glare at Ino and Shikamaru)

"...you two should know better not to let him do that. I don't want him to get hurt worse because of your foolishness. But don't look scared... I'm not angry at you for it, just a bit concerned. Now, let's all go together, and at a slower pace this time. No more racing, please."

Feeling kind of rotten for having been such idiots, they lowered their heads in shame, and then nodded in agreement to not race anymore. This gave Choumaru a big grin, and he whistled a merry tune as they began making their way towards the Hokage's office again. There was quite a bit of a small crowd when they arrived, mostly made up of chuunin and a few of the teachers from the ninja academy. Being made to stand before the Hokage's desk (beside Tatsunosuke, who'd been anxiously waiting for them), the four of them related in detail all that'd happened when they weren't with their sensei - especially the fight with Ryobi and Usoune. Comments were heard being murmured amidst the crowd as soon as they all had finished speaking, and Asuma cocked an eyebrow at the few that he was able to overhear. A few moments of silence passed while Hokage-sama thought over all that he'd heard, looking very concerned. Then at last he spoke up, staring directly at Tatsunosuke and at the three genin.

"I must admit that you acted very bravely in all that you did, however, it bothers me that none of you had the sense to have taken Usoune's weapon from him after he'd been tied up. If that had been done, then the fight which took place later on wouldn't have occured. Battling so close to the village was very dangerous if that man had tried to escape into Konohagakure to take refuge. But I guess that in lieu of your being recent academy graduates and that at the time you were more worried about what'd become of your sensei, such a thought didn't enter into your minds. And Tatsunosuke, I must say that I'm greatly impressed for your part in all of this - Asuma has told me much about how valiant you were when you fought Hitomizu Usoune. That special technique you used was a high-calibur art that even some chuunin might not have been able to pull off under the circumstances. Young man, if you were ever to enter a ninja academy, I'm certain you'd get very far with the great skills and intelligence you possess. Therefore, I am honored to bestow on you one of Konoha's greatest awards that can be given to someone not a citizen of this village. Tatsunosuke, come here..."

Hokage-sama gave the boy a kind smile and motioned to him to come and approach the desk. Tatsunosuke nervously complied and walked forward. It bothered him that Asuma had mentioned that technique he used, but decided it was too late now and was glad he wasn't in trouble for it. Picking up what looked like a pendant on a thick chain, Hokage-sama placed it around the boy's neck and then turned him around to show it to everyone in the room. It was made of silver and circular in shape, and around the edge of it was a border of tiny emeralds and hematite. In the center of the pendant, embossed with gold, was kanji that said "Souretsu" (Heroic Bravery). He was so dazzled and stunned by this noble gesture, that all Tatsunosuke could do for a few moments was gaze down at the pendant. Some of the crowd cheered when he'd turned around, as did Asuma and his students, clapping loudly. Hokage-sama smiled even brighter as he took notice of everyone's approval of what he'd done, and gave the boy an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he came to stand by his side. It was for about 10 minutes or more before everyone calmed down and the congratulating had ceased. After Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino had recieved their coupons to get a free dinner for them and their families at Konoha's most reknown restaurant as reward for completing their mission, they all followed their sensei off into the streets as Tatsunosuke made his way to the gates to begin his trip homeward. Choumaru didn't bother to follow his son, for he was too busy happily talking with some of his jonin friends about all that'd happened. It was rather sad for them to have to say farewell to Tatsunosuke so soon, but they knew that he wanted to hurry home to tell his uncle all about their ordeal (and of the unpleasant news of Ryobi's treason, as well as his death). Two members of ANBU wearing combat gear walked on either side of him as Tatsunosuke approached the village gates, and he curiously marveled at the mysterious cat and bird masks that they wore. When they finally got there, it was hard for Tatsunosuke to say goodbye to everyone, for he'd come to think of them as friends and was a bit reluctant to leave. But then he remembered what Naruto had told him, and he smiled (making the others wonder what he was thinking about). Giving the three genin a big group hug (though it kind of annoyed Ino a little to do it), and then giving a brief hug to Asuma, he stepped back and gave them a promise. If he can become a ninja and when he's old enough to leave his uncle, then he'd come back to Konoha and become a citizen of the village. They all cheered to hear that, and as the gates opened to let Tatsunsouke and his two escorts pass through, the boy couldn't help but cry a bit. As he made his way onto the main road, Tatsunosuke waved to everyone for as long as he could until he soon disappeared from their sight. Not quite sure what to do next, Asuma and the others all just stood there - staring at where they'd seen the boy last. A small breeze began to kick up some leaves, and soon made them swiftly dance around the four ninja. After several moments of silence broken only by the wind's whistling, Asuma spoke to his students. He discussed with them of how this might feel sad, but not to let that dampen their spirits. They should look forward to when Tatsunosuke one day fulfills his vow and returns to the village as a genuine ninja (and becomes a fellow citizen of Konoha). Walking back towards the heart of Konohagakure, Asuma went on to inform them of something else they could look foward to - the chuunin exams. As he answered all their many questions on this, he cheerfully grinned at the thought of this experience honing their teamwork far grander than this mission had done. Though the exams would be even more difficult than they could ever imagine, Asuma could feel that they'd be able to withstand its many challenges and accomplish much. So after he gave them the applications to take the exams, he reminded them of the trials that lay ahead and the many dangers they'd face. Their skills and their knowledge would be fiercely tested, and if they didn't die trying, it might improve their abilities and their lives in many ways. Bidding his students farewell once he'd finished, Asuma headed for home ...wondering what the future may have in store for the three genin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Note from the author (Kara Kazeneko): This marks the second fanfic that I've ever written, and I think I did a pretty okay job. Hope that you enjoyed reading it and I'd love to hear any comments you might have (or if you'd like to make some fan art inspired by this story). Send all comments (or art requests) to my email address.

If you're curious about what the title means, it's "Together Strong" 


End file.
